Down East magazine, has been publishing since August 1954, and continues as one of Maine's most prominent monthly magazines. Their web site's history page provides the following description:

"The goal of Down East has always been to hold a mirror up to Maine — its storied past and lively present — and to celebrate its flinty, independent character and unhurried way of life. As Maine has changed with the times, however, so has Down East. Today the state has come to embrace its future as well as its past. Accordingly, the magazine now focuses more on contemporary Maine life and what the future might bring and less on historical background and quaint rusticity. Booming circulation and advertising gains demonstrate the wisdom of this editorial shift."

Portland Public Library's collection of Down East is complete, and begins with the first issue, August 1954. The hard copies are available in the Portland Room.

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Submissions from 2017

 

North by East. What's in a Picture?, Will Grunewald

 

North by East. What's in a Picture?, Will Grunewald

 

North by East. What’s in a Picture?, Will Grunewald

 

Not on Board: In a State that Thrives on Tourism, Why Do Cruise Ships Still Leave So Much Discord in Their Wake?, Will Grunewald

 

Not on Board: In a State that Thrives on Tourism, Why Do Cruise Ships Still Leave So Much Discord in Their Wake?, Will Grunewald

 

Peaceful & Pristine: Residents of Grand Lake Stream Have Safeguarded Thousands of Acres of Forest. Now They're Fighting for Their Community's Future, Caitlin Shetterly and Daniel E. Davis Photographer

 

Peaks Season: For the 900 or so year-round residents of Peaks Island, winter is a time to embrace the quiet, the cold, and the community., Mira Ptacin and Greta Rybus Photographer

 

Prettiest Harbors: It's time to lay anchor. Our pictorial tribute to the eight port towns and peaceful coves we never tire of gazing at

 

Queen of the Kennebec, Virginia M. Wright and Tony Luong, photographer

 

Quiet Splendor: Western Maine's panoramic brilliance attracts all the traffic, but the coasal forests, postcard villages, and vivid blueberry barrens of Down East have their own laid-back luster, Benjamin Williamson

 

Reaping What They Sow, Mary Pols and Tristan Spinski, photographer

 

Retire in Maine: Maine's Retirement Communities, Down East staff writers

 

Sheets, Shoots, & Leaves, Down East staff writers

 

Shop; Mapping a Few of our Favorite Things: The holidays aren't far off, and finding the right Maine gift can be hard. Let us help.

 

Show Business: After her husband died in 2013, Jeanette Gilmore took over Smokey's Greater Shows, an institution on the Maine festival circuit. But in 50+ years of fairgrounds, ferris wheels and a fluctuating workforce, life on the midway hasn't gotten any easier. Welcome to the carnival., Jaed Coffin and Gabe Souza

 

Special Exports, Brian Kevin

 

SuperOrono-ism, Brian Kevin

 

Swig of the Month; Paradise: Maine Juice Co.

 

Talkin' 'Bout Their Generation: Highland Green, a 55-and-Up Community in Topsham Fosters Active Lifestyles-and a Rock- and- Roll Band, Jesse Ellison

 

The Bloody Business: How a physician in Bridgton became Stephen King's Hippocrates of Horror., Will Grunewald

 

The Coldest War: In the Chilly Coastal Waters off Cutler, America's Oldest Border Skirmish Continues Apace, Jesse Ellison

 

The Fire and The Feast: Aficionado of all things historic, Scott Hanson does Thanksgiving in early-19th-century style, Hannah Holmes and Michael Piazza Photographer

 

The Great Maine Scavenger Hunt of 2017, Joel Crabtree, Will Grunewald, Brian Kevin, Frances Killea, and Virginia M. Wright

 

The Last Master, Charlotte Wilder and David Hills, photographer

 

The Mystery of Maine Mystery Writers, Jaed Coffin

 

The New Innkeepers: There are plenty of fresh faces on the Maine hospitality scene these days- and they're running some of our favorite destination inns, lodges, boutique hotels, and more.

 

The Stranger in the Woods, Michael Finkel and Michael Byers, illustrator

 

Tom Deschenes Is Trying to Kill You: But in a fun way! Quest for the antidote, the first-time game designer's new fantasy board game, has players dicing with death, Brian Kevin and Molly Haley Photographer

 

Walk This Way: A landscape designer creates a welcoming entry with swirling stone works and colorful, textured plants, Virginia M. Wright and Douglas Merriam, photographer

 

What's in a Picture?

 

What's in a Picture?, Sarah Cahalan

 

Wild Man: Jensen Bissell manages Maine's Baxter State Park, 210,000 acres of the most dramatic peaks, prettiest ponds and finest trails east of the Rockies. Lately, he spends a lot of his time trying to keep people out of it. (Or does he?), Brian Kevin and Phillipe de Kemmeter Illustrator

 

Working on Their Night Moves: Painter Linden Frederick Collaborates with a Murderer's Row of Great Authors for a One-of-a-Kind Cross-Genre Exhibit, Frances Kilea

Submissions from 2016

 

100 Years of Acadia National Park, [Down East staff writers]

 

8 Crazy Maine Ideas!, Lance Tapley, Sara Anne Donnelly, Edgar Allen Beem, Rob Sneddon, Brian King, Michael Erard, and Andrew Graham

 

All Aglow, Down East staff writers and Mike Taylor, photographer

 

Art of Giving 2016. Featured Artist: Matthew Russ, Down East staff writers

 

Art of Giving 2016. Featured Artist: R. Scott Baltz, Down East staff writers

 

Art of Giving. Artist Profile, Down East editorial staff

 

Best of Maine 2016, Down East editorial staff

 

Best Places to Live in Maine: Sweet '16, Down East staff writers; Darylann Leonard (Rangeley, Bethel); Sue Anne Hodges (Chebeague, Belfast); Mark Fleming (Cornish); Susan Cole Kelly (Damariscotta); Laurence Parent (Lubec); and Cait Bourgault (Cape Elizabeth)

 

Clean Sweep, Jesse Ellison and David Yellen, photographer

 

Country Way, Virginia M. Wright and Meredith Purdue, photographer

 

Dooryard. A Garden Legacy, Virginia M. Wright and Douglas Merriman, photographer

 

Dooryard. Critters: A Blizzard of Snowy Owls, Kristen Lindquist

 

Dooryard. Garden: An Edible Arrangement, Virginia M. Wright and Douglas Merriam, photographer

 

Dooryard. Home: Built to Last, Arielle Greenberg Bywater and Sarah Szwajkos, photographer

 

Dooryard. Home: Cabinet of Curiosities, Virginia M. Wright and Irvin Serrano, photographer

 

Dooryard. Home: Do You Live in a Barn?, Meadow Rue Merrill and Cait Bourgault, photographer

 

Dooryard. Home: Garden, Seaside Splendor, Jesse Ellison and Douglas Merriam, photographer